Ennis and Farah lead UK squad to Istanbul

UK Athletics today announced defending World champions Jessica Ennis and Dwain Chambers in a 39-strong squad as part of the Aviva Great Britain & Northern Ireland team for the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey 9 – 11 March.

In-form Mo Farah and Holly Bleasdale will also board the plane to Istanbul as the 2012 indoor season reaches its climax.

The team head to the showpiece occasion in sparkling form, with 19 personal bests and three British records being broken this year, as well as three world leading performances.

Performances of note include Ennis who produced personal bests at the Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix in the 60m Hurdles and Long Jump, as well as Bleasdale’s British record 4.87m in the Pole Vault set in France last month.

Recently crowned national indoor 60m Hurdles champion Andy Pozzi is one of five new caps representing the Aviva GB & NI senior team for the first time.

New UK indoor Long Jump record holder Shara Proctor, Christine Ohuruogu, Tiffany Porter and Yamile Aldama are some of the other key names selected for the 15th indoor World Championships.

Andy Robertson, Andrew Sutcliffe and JJ Jegede have been selected on the proviso they attain the UKA qualification standard by 27 February.

UKA Head Coach Charles van Commenee said: “This is a strong team and one that can realistically challenge for medals and make finals.

“There are some good athletes coming through and I am looking forward to seeing how they perform on the senior international stage.

“There have been some good performances during the indoor season which bodes well for Istanbul and beyond. The indoor season gives useful information about how athletes are progressing. It is important to remember the focus still remains on London 2012.”